


read our lips

by Hannah (hannahoftheinternet)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alien Culture, Episode: s04e06 Rejoined, F/F, Fix-It, Meddling, Trills
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 09:05:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15361017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahoftheinternet/pseuds/Hannah
Summary: Lenara Kahn decides to stay on Deep Space 9 to be with Jadzia and the Symbiosis Commission is not having it. Luckily, this is Deep Space 9. They can handle it.





	read our lips

**Author's Note:**

> This time on "Hannah can't pick a genre,"  
> So this is entirely based off of a Tumblr post, which I'll link to at the end.  
> Uh, they say "fuck" once and alcohol gets mentioned a bit.  
> Written for sapphicstartrek's fanwork exchance, which I'll also link to.  
> The title is inspired by some nice art, which I will ALSO link to.

Jadzia is willing to do it. She is willing to give up everything for the woman she loves.

She positions herself on one of the elevated walkways with a very good view of the airlock, hoping against hope that she won’t see Lenara. Which, admittedly, is  _ not _ something someone in love hopes for.

Pren and Otner appear in her line of sight, talking about something that requires large hand gestures. They are followed by Worf, who is determinedly not paying attention to them.  _ Please don’t come. _

But it isn’t more than a few moments until the movement of Lenara’s approach draws Jadzia’s attention to the deck. Her heart drops.  _ So that’s it. _

She don’t really expected that Lenara would stay. It is more of a wish, a fantasy. Inside, she knows that rules came before feelings in Lenara’s mind.

But it would have been nice.

She has stopped just in front of the doors, talking to Worf. Jadzia can’t hear what they are saying, but she assumes it is thanks and a goodbye. She finds herself growing impatient.  _ Just _ \--

Lenara stands on the floor of the deck, just  _ gazing _ at her. She is too far away for Jadzia to note the color of her eyes, but she knows. Green. The beautiful, exquisite green she hasn’t found anywhere else in the galaxy.

Lenara’s gaze can’t be ignored, no matter how hard Jadzia tries.

Several minutes. Or maybe an eternity. There is really no way to tell how much time has passed, because time doesn’t seem to exist at that very moment.

Lenara turns. Tears herself away, and Jadzia swallows.  _ I’m never going to see her again. _

But she isn’t leaving. Lenara has exchanged a few words with Worf, who has nodded in reply, and begun making her way to the lift. Jadzia’s breath catches, and she watches in unmoving shock as Lenara crosses the walkway in long strides, coming to stand right in front of her.

“I’m staying,” Lenara says, and Jadzia can’t think of anything to say, so she kisses her instead. She can feel the woman’s pulse thrumming everywhere they touch, and it is so familiar that she could been back 92 years ago, standing as Torias with Nilani on their wedding day.

There is a loud thump and a shout, and Jadzia breaks the kiss to look over the railing at the floor of the deck. Otner is lying face-down on the floor, several Bajorans and Humans and one Klingon leaning over him.

Jadzia looks back to Lenara, not even making an attempt to keep a smile off her face. But Lenara, beautiful Lenara, is smiling too, and that is what made Jadzia start to laugh.

***

Nerys is the first to know, but only by a few minutes. Jadzia mentions it in the lift up to Ops, and it goes pretty much like how she expects. Nerys hugs her and congratulates her and asks if there’s going to be any sort of event and promises to bring some sort of gift as soon as she can. 

“Don’t say anything,” Jadzia warns. “Not until I’ve told Benjamin and Julian, anyway.”

Nerys nods. “I won’t.” But she shoots Jadzia a smile as they go their opposite directions on the Ops floor.

Benjamin is sitting in his chair, reading a PADD with little interest. She approaches him. “Benjamin. There’s something I want to tell you.”

He looks up, and it’s clear from his face that he knows. “Is this about Doctor Kahn missing her transport?”

Jadzia nods. Ben smiles, just a bit, and then he just listens.

***

Two days later, the whole station knows. It’s mostly Jadzia’s fault, because she’s so happy that she really doesn’t want to not talk about it. But Julian told Miles, and Miles told Quark, and Quark told everyone and their mother. It’s probably the most gossip he’s heard in a long time.

They’ve had compliments, questions of every kind, and, most worryingly, several angry messages from the Symbiosis Commission. It’s jarring to both of them, but Lenara more. Jadzia hasn’t had much contact with the Commission in the past five years, with the notable exceptions of the Joran debacle and her  _ Zhian’tara _ . They both block the Commission on their personal subspace channels, but Jadzia knows that Lenara is more than a bit concerned.

***

“The Symbiosis Commission is not happy with you,” Bashir says, sitting at their table and depositing two PADDs on the surface in the middle of their lunch.

“Oh, they’re sending messages to our colleagues now?” says Lenara, taking one of the PADDs and activating it. “I thought they would just let us be after we blocked them.”

Jadzia grins into her  _ raktajino _ . “When do they ever?”

Bashir gives them both the same look: a  _ don’t be so cavalier _ look. “You each have around forty missed subspace calls ordering you to report to Trill immediately.”

“Probably misdirected.” Lenara smiles serenely and grabs Jadzia’s hand, drawing small circles with her thumb. “They haven’t repaired any subspace arrays on Trill since 2354.”

The doctor squints. “Right. Of course. Well. Sorry for interrupting your lunch.” He stands up, scraping his chair against the floor, and departs in the general direction of the medical bay.

Jadzia sets her  _ raktajino  _ on the table. “2354?”

Still rubbing her hand, Lenara leans in. “I may have exaggerated.”

“So…” Jadzia looks back at the PADD. “You’re  _ not _ worried?”

“I can worry later,” she says, and pulls Jadzia in for a kiss. Jadzia decides at that moment:  _ to hell with the Symbiosis Commission _ .

***

Benjamin calls her into his office a week later. “The Symbiosis Commission requested an ethics investigation into your career here. Any idea why?”

“Well…” Jadzia says, “They sent me and Lenara dozens of subspace messages asking us to return to Trill. I guess Otner told them everything.”

“They’re questioning everything you’ve done in the past five years.” He slides a PADD across the desk. She skims it, but she’s not really all that concerned.

Looking up, she says, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Benjamin’s face is sour. “Let’s hope they see it that way.”

Jadzia and Lenara stay up late that night, contacting every legally inclined friend from every past host. Most of them are sympathetic and helpful. There are many kisses that night.

In the morning, when Jadzia shows up at Ops, there’s a pile of PADDs on her console, each bearing the name and details of someone with extensive legal knowledge. Julian shoots her a wink when he sees her reading one. She finds out from Nerys at lunch that there will be a small army of lawyers of various species arguing for her.

***

The ethics investigation goes in her favor.

***

The Trill government wants to continue to use Lenara’s research, they hear from Odo at some point.

“Pitrats,” says Lenara, which is much more obscene than it sounds and very out of character for her. Jadzia feels like laughing. “They can’t go after my partner and our relationship and still want to use my research.”

Jadzia leans into her. Her skin is cool and Jadzia wants nothing more than to warm it up. “What do they want with it? Unstable wormholes aren’t really in demand right now.”

Lenara strikes her gently. “It’s still a work in progress, alright?” And Jadzia swears she falls more in love every day. Funny, it’s the little domestic things like that which make her sentimental.

“Let’s get married again,” she says.

“Okay.”

Odo has more news in the morning. “There’s someone who can do very illegal things on your side,” he says, harrumphing. “Doctor Kahn’s research suddenly became…  _ unavailable _ to anyone off the station.”

“I bet you Vulcan mocha ice cream that it was Garak,” Jadzia tells Lenara after Odo leaves, not even caring that she is promising her partner the most expensive food on Quark’s menu.

Lenara nudges her good-naturedly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

When they ask, Garak denies everything, which definitely is a yes. She doesn’t mind. Vulcan mocha ice cream is  _ good _ .

***

A headline catches her eye while she skims the various newsfeeds she’s subscribed to: CONTROVERSIAL STUDY SUGGESTS TRILL REASSOCIATION ACTUALLY HEALTHY.

“Lenara,” she calls into the washroom of their new quarters (their shared quarters!), where her partner is currently drying her hair, “have you seen the new reassociation study?”

Lenara emerges with the moisture collector clutched in her hand. “No.”

Jadzia opens the article. “Listen to this:  _ A new study has been released to the public, suggesting that the taboo Trill practice of reassociation is actually psychologically healthy _ .”

“Interesting.” Lenara sits down on the bed. “We knew that already, though.”

“Mm.” Jadzia kisses her, and then kisses her again for good measure.

Lenara takes the PADD and reads through the article. “Does it say who authored this--oh.”

“‘Oh’ what?”

“ _ The study was authored by the esteemed Doctor Julian Bashir, who is the Chief Medical Officer aboard  _ Deep Space 9 _ , where he has had ample opportunity to observe joined Trills. For an article about the recent reassociation scandal, click here _ .”

Jadzia laughs. “I’m going to buy Julian an drink.”

“There’s more.  _ Doctor Bashir was not available for comment on any of his other research on Trills, except to say that he will not share it with the Trill government _ .”

“Two drinks.”

***

They’ve both noticed,  _ everyone  _ has noticed, that Trill ships no longer stop at  _ Deep Space 9 _ . Every freighter and science vessel in the vicinity always finds itself redirected somehow. It’s not hard to figure out why.

Jadzia is up in Ops with Lenara when the call comes in.

“Halflife  _ to  _ Deep Space 9,” says a voice over the comms. “ _ Requesting permission to dock. _ ”

“Acknowledged,  _ Halflife _ ,” Nerys says immediately. “Origin, captain, and cargo?”

“ _ We’re from Trill. I’m Captain Meria Rizars, cargo is fifty kilos of medical equipment. I can patch our list of what’s onboard to you if you like. _ ” Jadzia notices the use of the  _ I-unjoined _ pronoun.

“Not necessary, Captain.”

“ _ The Symbiosis Commission says we’re not allowed to dock here,” _ says Rizars. “ _ Because of Dax and Kahn. _ ”

“Then why are you asking?” Benjamin questions.

“ _ Because I will tell the entire Commission to go fuck themselves if I can meet them. _ ”

Most of Ops snickers at that.

“Sounds good to me,” Nerys says once the laughter has subsided. “Docking Bay 4 is open. I’ll buy you a drink.” Jadzia appreciates the support.

***

“So he sends Ensign Williams down to meet the guy and Williams says that Dax can’t meet with him because she’s ‘currently working on groundbreaking research with her partner Doctor Lenara Kahn.’” Quark pauses for dramatic effect. It’s clearly not the first time he’s told the story, because Morn mouths along as he talks. Jadzia throws an arm around Lenara, feeling absurdly pleased with herself.

“I brought him to the bar, served him tons of this terrible Human stuff called brandy, which makes for really bad hangovers, and got him to tell me his life story,” Quark recounts with a smile as close to malicious as that face could get. “And I got  _ lots _ of blackmail material.”

Odo is right there, but Jadzia notices that he pretends not to hear that part.

“Then I steered him towards the dabo tables and beat him out of every strip of latinum he had,” finishes Quark, still smiling. “Enough to buy another holosuite. If only there was room.” His smile fades at that.

“Quark,” Lenara says, “you’re not going to hear this from me very often, but you did a good job.”

Jadzia kisses her, for the thousandth time that week. “How lucky am I that I get to do that whenever I want?”

Lenara smiles. “Do you think they’ll leave us alone now?”

“I hope so. But I do have an idea of what to do if we’re ever called in for a trial.”

“Oh?”

“I say ‘Read our lips’ and kiss you right there.”

“Perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration: http://mailorderfictionalcharacter.tumblr.com/post/171407269985/a-concept-a-lenara-kahn-stays-au-bureaucratic  
> sapphicstartrek: https://sapphicstartrek.tumblr.com/  
> Title: http://reflectedeve.tumblr.com/post/161980908100/whoops-did-another-kissing-picture-for


End file.
